Apparatus for laying railway-tracks



(No Model.) Q

T. ADAMS.

Apparatus for Laying Railway-Track. I No. 228,505. I Patented June 'S, 1,880.

N. PETERS. FHOTO-LIYHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT Grmcn.

THEODORE ADAMS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR LAYING RAILWAY-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,505, dated June 8, 1880.

Application filed April 2, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE ADAMS, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Laying Railway- Tracks, of whiehthe following is a specification.

It is the object of this invention to provide means to facilitate the delivery of the rails,

ties, and other materials for constructing railway-track from the cars on which they are transported to the center of the road-bed,where they can most conveniently be placed in position.

I am aware that roller-tramways have been attached to the sides of platform-ears, and that such tramways have been extended along the sides of the road-bed and beyond the end of the track by connecting supplemental tramways to those attached to the cars, for the purpose of unloading rails and ties. Substantially such construction was patented to D. S. Moore, No. 200,148, February 12, 1878.

I am also aware that Letters Patent No. 82,350, granted W. D. Robertson, September 22, 1868, describe and show a machine-car with a centrally located and inclined channel or trough mounted about the platform and provided with small rollers; but this channel extends only part way of the length of the car.

As distinguished from former constructions for this purpose, the present invention consists in the central position of the tramway upon the platform of the car; in extending the same the entire length of the car to make the same practically continuous throughout the length of a train in mounting the chute or supplemental tramway upon trucks or a small iron car; in making such chute adjustable upon the car or truck; in the mode of attachment of the chute to the main car, and in the combination of pieces on the car on which the rails are deposited with the tramway-frame.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a car and chute containing my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the ear; Fig. 4, an en- (No model.)

larged longitudinal section along the line a: a of Fig. l of the end of the car and the chute, showing the mode of their connection. Fig. 5 is a view, in section and elevation, along the line y y of Fig. 1, representing the truss-frame for chute and mode of attachment to iron car; and Fig. 6 shows mode of bracing roller-frame for car or chute.

In the drawings, A represents an ordinary platform-car, upon which is located the rollert-ramway or track B. This tramway or track B is centrally located, or thereabout, upon the platform of the car--that is, a space is left upon either side of the tramway for piling the rails and ties and other materials which are to be transported for the purpose of layin g the track. In practice I make this tramway about one foot and a half wide and secure it to the platform, so as to leave between one of its sides and the edge of the car a space of from two and a half to three feet. (Designated 1n F1g. 1 by O.) This, in a car of ordinary width, Wlll leave a space (designated by D) of from four to four and one-half feet on the other side of the tramway.

The space 0 is used for the track-rails, which are to be laid lengthwise of the car upon crosspieces 0 c c, 850., which are made fast to the platform of the car, and are of substantially the same height as the side rails or frame of the tramway. The tops of these pieces are preferably covered with strips of iron, which extend over the side rails of the tramway to protect them from wear and abrasion from rolling or sliding the rails upon the tramway. This construction is seen in Fig. 3. This arrangement makes it unnecessary to raise the rails in order to place them upon the tramway; but they can be simply rolled or slid from the pieces 0 c, 850., onto the tramway-rollers.

The space D is designed to be occupied by the ties, which are to be piled lengthwise of the car, and this space may be provided with cleats d d d, 860., secured to the platform to raise the ties up a little, so that they can be more easily handled.

The frame of the roller-tramway is simply two rails or pieces, E E, extending the length of the platform, and braced by means of cross bolts 0 e, &c., secured in the rails. In addition to these bolts, cross-blocks ff, along the sides of which the bolts pass, and which are closely fitted between the rails E E, may be used. The rollers F F extend across between the side rails, E E, and are journaled in the sides of these rails, as shown in Fig. 3. The top of these rollers should be slightly below the top of the frames to prevent the ties and track-rails from running off the sides of the tramway while passing along its length.

G represents a chute mounted upon a truck, H, in such a way that it is nearly balanced upon its bearing upon the truck. The construction of this chute is substantially the same as the roller-tramway B on the platform of the car A, and is constructed and designed to be attached to and form a continuation of it. A shallow body may be mounted on the truck H, and the truck, with its body, may be designateda push-car, and is designated in drawin gs by N. This car, besides furnishing means for moving the chute on the track, also provides a convenient receptacle for spikes, bolts, fish-plates, chairs, &c., to be used in laying the track.

The chute G is conveniently supported and strengthened by truss-rods M, attached to the side rails, L L, near the ends of the chute, and passed over the top of a trussframe, which consists of two uprights, I I, securely bolted to the side rails and the cross-bar J. The chute, thus attached to the trussframe, maybe mounted upon the car N, so as to permit an adjustment thereon in the following way: The uprights I I are extended to reach below the side pieces or rails, L L, sufficiently to bear against the end K of the body of the car, so that when the chute is pushed forward by the forward movement of the car A the car N will, through this engagement, be also pushed forward. This arrangement permits the forward end of the chute to be easily and readily adjusted to bring it into the center of the roadbed in laying the track around curves, and this can be effected by pushing or sliding the chute laterally along its bearing on the ear N,

whereby its direction relatively to the line 01:

the car A will be changed and its forward end brought into the center of the road-bed. In order, however, that the forward end of the chute may be adjusted laterally to conform to the curves of the road-bed, the union of the opposite end of the chute to the car A is such as to permit a slight lateral play or motion to that end, and for this purpose a clevis, 0, projects from the platform of the car, into which enters a plate, 1), attached to the under side of the rails L L near the end of the chute. The

arms of the clevis and the plate 1) are provided with an aperture, and when the parts are in place they are locked together by a pin or bolt passed through the aperture. The clevis is of less width than the space between the side rails, L L, which allows the end of the chute to have the desired lateral motion when it is adjusted on the car N. Other methods of arrangement by which the desired play of this end of the chute is permitted may be used.

In practice any desired number of cars provided, like the car A, with roller-tramways centrally located, and each pref'erabl y loaded with a given number of rails and sufficient ties, bolts, spikes, fish-bars, chairs, &c., to lay such number of rails, may be coupled together and driven to the end of the track, where the chute G is to be stationed. This chute is then connected to the forward car, so that the roller-tramways of each will correspond, and the cars may then be unloaded by rolling the ties and rails upon the tramways of the cars, whereby they are easily passed along until they reach the chute and are deposited at the end of the chute upon the center of the roadbed.

The spikes, bolts, &c., deposited in the cars may be sent forward by placing them on the ties, and when they reach the car N may be taken otf and placed in this car, where they will be handy for use, as the car N is always near the point where the rails are being laid and secured in place. As fast as the rails and ties are deposited upon the road-bed they are laid in place to extend the track, and as fast as this is done the train can be advanced, so that the materials required canalways be laid upon the center of the road-bed slightly in advance of the finished track.

\Vhat is claimed as new is l. A railway-car provided with a rollertramway centrally located, or thereabout, upon the platform of the car, and extending throughout its entire length, in combination with a chute to transfer rails, ties, &e., from the car to the road-bed, substantially as described.

2. A chute or supplemental roller-tramway mounted near its longitudinal. center upon a truck, and constructed and arranged to be connected to the platform of a railway-car, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with a railway-ear, A, a chute or supplemental roller-tramway mount ed near its longitudinal center upon a car, N, and adjustable thereon, for the purpose of allowing the forward end of such chute to conform to the center of a curved road-bed, substantially as described.

at. In combination with a railway-car, A,

provided with a roller-tramway centrally l0- cated, or thereabout, upon its platform, a chute or supplemental roller-tramway mounted near its longitudinal center upon a car, N, and adjustable thereon, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. A plate, 17, attached near the end of the chute G, in combination with a elevis, O, on the car A, the parts being constructed and arranged to permit the lateral adjustment of the forward end of the chute, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the uprights I I of up from the platform of the car to facilitate the truss-frame with the end K of the car N, the loading of the rails upon the tramway, as a means of propelling such car and of persubstantially as described.

lnitting the lateral adjustment of the chute G, THEODORE ADAMS.- 5 substantially as described. Witnesses:

7. In a railway-car, the combination with a CHAS. N. WHITNEY,

roller-tramway of pieces 0 0 c, &c., raised J. H. SYPHER. 

